My 2000 Windstar died when it was fed a healthy dose of Sodium Silicate.
How did your car die?
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Originally Posted By: mongo161
I never had a car die....just the repairs would cost too much for me to keep up with fixing. They were all sold to other buyers who just needed cheap transportation since the engines ran fine. I had a 1987 Grand Marquis LS, 302 V8, engine ran great but everything else needed to be either repaired, replaced or was just waiting to go.
I then bought a 1997 Toyota 4 Runner and the only items I've had to replace were the normal wear and tear items like belts, hoses, fuel filter, fluids and filters etc. I'm on my 3rd set of Michelin tires and 3rd Battery so my expenses to maintain this vehicle have been very low. Very dependable transportation if you make sure to change the fluids and give it a little TLC. Best vehicle I've ever owned.
I wish American made cars, with the exception of those from the 1950's and early 1960's, were as dependable and well made as the Japanese vehicles.
Glad you have had good luck with your toyo, but your impression of American cars has been disproved many times over. My worst car was a Nissan and my best car a Ford.
I never had a car die....just the repairs would cost too much for me to keep up with fixing. They were all sold to other buyers who just needed cheap transportation since the engines ran fine. I had a 1987 Grand Marquis LS, 302 V8, engine ran great but everything else needed to be either repaired, replaced or was just waiting to go.
I then bought a 1997 Toyota 4 Runner and the only items I've had to replace were the normal wear and tear items like belts, hoses, fuel filter, fluids and filters etc. I'm on my 3rd set of Michelin tires and 3rd Battery so my expenses to maintain this vehicle have been very low. Very dependable transportation if you make sure to change the fluids and give it a little TLC. Best vehicle I've ever owned.
I wish American made cars, with the exception of those from the 1950's and early 1960's, were as dependable and well made as the Japanese vehicles.
Glad you have had good luck with your toyo, but your impression of American cars has been disproved many times over. My worst car was a Nissan and my best car a Ford.
Over the last ten years:
'86 Civic, swallowed valve (I think) some time after 200K, still ran, drove it home, and moved it around the driveway before finally calling the wrecker to get rid of it.
'96 Ody, totalled by older son.
'88 MB 190E, totalled by older son.
'97 Aerostar, bought new, thirteen years and 176K, totalled by younger son.
I have rarely had a car die of mechanical failure.
They usually end up wrecked, and however stupid the drivers may have been in the above cases, the cars at least protected them from harm.
'86 Civic, swallowed valve (I think) some time after 200K, still ran, drove it home, and moved it around the driveway before finally calling the wrecker to get rid of it.
'96 Ody, totalled by older son.
'88 MB 190E, totalled by older son.
'97 Aerostar, bought new, thirteen years and 176K, totalled by younger son.
I have rarely had a car die of mechanical failure.
They usually end up wrecked, and however stupid the drivers may have been in the above cases, the cars at least protected them from harm.
86 plymouth reliant station wagon, 2.5L 3 speed auto, with only 120000 miles. transmission went out or something. every gear acted like neutral, even park, and there were metal shavings all over the dipstick. sold it to a guy who pulled it to the metal scrap yard. where it was crushed.
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I just remembered several cars that should have been dead that soldiered on:
When I was a kid, my best friend's dad had a Pontiac Safari wagon. I think it had a 400 but it might have had a 455.
When it developed a rod knock, his dad simply removed the offending connecting rod. V7 Pontiac. Sounded like [terrible]but kept running.
Knew a guy that rounded the #4 lobes on his D-Series Civic camshaft. Usually when oil starved, the cam just seizes and breaks leaving nothing to drive the distributor. Dead. Somehow his just rounded the lobes. #4 was effectively dead and the other 3 cylinders were forced to drive the # 4 piston through it's normal compression stroke and then another compression stroke because the exhaust valve would hardly budge away from it's seat. His solution? Take the spark plug out and drive it 'til it dies. He drove that thing for a long time. thackata thackata thackata......! everywhere he went.
When I was a kid, my best friend's dad had a Pontiac Safari wagon. I think it had a 400 but it might have had a 455.
When it developed a rod knock, his dad simply removed the offending connecting rod. V7 Pontiac. Sounded like [terrible]but kept running.
Knew a guy that rounded the #4 lobes on his D-Series Civic camshaft. Usually when oil starved, the cam just seizes and breaks leaving nothing to drive the distributor. Dead. Somehow his just rounded the lobes. #4 was effectively dead and the other 3 cylinders were forced to drive the # 4 piston through it's normal compression stroke and then another compression stroke because the exhaust valve would hardly budge away from it's seat. His solution? Take the spark plug out and drive it 'til it dies. He drove that thing for a long time. thackata thackata thackata......! everywhere he went.
1988 Ford F150 with the 5.0 liter - electrical gremlins fried three ECM units so I decided to retire it after 467,000 miles on the same engine. Great truck! I miss it. Replaced it with a 2001 F250 4-wheel drive that rides like a pulpwood truck.
My sister had a 2001 Saturn L200, only 75k miles. Parked it in the street in front of her house about a month ago (New Year's Eve). Drunk driver smashed into it. Totaled.
'74 Plymouth Valiant, pristine shape up top but after spending its entire life in Michigan, the underbody was deteriorating rapidly. One day i'm driving to school ('86 maybe?) and there's a loud clunk and i'm sitting crooked. The frame broke. Took it to a local weld shop they did a quick weld repair ([censored] car always was a tiny bit crooked after that). Six months later, exact same thing happened, only another rusted spot on the frame. By that time I was heading off to college and didn't need a car so I unloaded. It had 73k miles on it at the time and the slant 6 ran beautifully. Michigan winters caused alot of untimely demises of otherwise great cars...
I've usually gotten rid of a vehicle while it's still operational- either it I'd get tired of it, it would need repairs that I wasn't rich enough or ambitious enough to undertake, or sometimes it would no longer suit my needs.
But I've had two vehicles that died in sudden and spectacular fashion. The first was my 1985 Buick Lesabre. First halfway decent car I ever owned- had intact factory paint, working a/c... the entire vehicle was reasonably functional. I bought it in 1996 and drove it until Spring of 1998- at which time I crashed it. Pulled out in front of a gal driving a Dodge Caravan- entirely my fault. She was ok, but the van was totaled, and the Buick's driver's side door was pushed in about 18". My knee was between the driver's door and the steering wheel and got a little bruised- but luckily the steering column broke before my knee did. Would've killed me if I hadn't been driving a massive Buick. I got a nice lawsuit out of the deal- luckily covered by my insurance. And I became a much more cautious driver... still am 13 years later.
My other spectacular vehicle failure was just a few months ago. I had taken my '94 Chevy Corsica on a 1000-mile road trip back to Tennessee (stupid, I know... long story). Anyway, the car made it to Tennessee without incident. On the way back to Kansas, I was cruising along at 70mph going up and down some big hills on I-75 in Eastern Kentucky. It was about 75 degrees outside. The car was running perfectly, no overheating, no abnormal behavior whatsoever. I topped a long, steep pass... rolled down hill for a while... crossed a bridge at the bottom... then the interstate started sloping back up for the next hill. I heard this awful racket. Looked around to see if maybe a Harley was passing me- nothing. Swerved a little to feel the tires- thought maybe one was coming apart- nothing. Then I realized that I was hearing the engine hitting against the rev limiter. The transmission was in 'drive', but wouldn't pull the vehicle. The car rolled to a stop and never moved under its own power again. It was filled with relatively fresh Dexron VI (maybe 10,000 miles on it). Fluid level was fine. I'd had an external transmission cooler on this vehicle for years, and an inline filter (which was fairly new). When I'd idle the engine and check the ATF level, it showed over-full... just like when you check it with the engine shut of. The pump wasn't pumping.
I had my brother drive up from TN (a couple hours away) and pick up me and the car. I flew back to Kansas, and now the old Corsica sits at a friend's house. He has since removed a trans cooler line and started the engine- no ATF came out. Somehow the pump or the pump shaft failed suddenly and completely.
But I've had two vehicles that died in sudden and spectacular fashion. The first was my 1985 Buick Lesabre. First halfway decent car I ever owned- had intact factory paint, working a/c... the entire vehicle was reasonably functional. I bought it in 1996 and drove it until Spring of 1998- at which time I crashed it. Pulled out in front of a gal driving a Dodge Caravan- entirely my fault. She was ok, but the van was totaled, and the Buick's driver's side door was pushed in about 18". My knee was between the driver's door and the steering wheel and got a little bruised- but luckily the steering column broke before my knee did. Would've killed me if I hadn't been driving a massive Buick. I got a nice lawsuit out of the deal- luckily covered by my insurance. And I became a much more cautious driver... still am 13 years later.
My other spectacular vehicle failure was just a few months ago. I had taken my '94 Chevy Corsica on a 1000-mile road trip back to Tennessee (stupid, I know... long story). Anyway, the car made it to Tennessee without incident. On the way back to Kansas, I was cruising along at 70mph going up and down some big hills on I-75 in Eastern Kentucky. It was about 75 degrees outside. The car was running perfectly, no overheating, no abnormal behavior whatsoever. I topped a long, steep pass... rolled down hill for a while... crossed a bridge at the bottom... then the interstate started sloping back up for the next hill. I heard this awful racket. Looked around to see if maybe a Harley was passing me- nothing. Swerved a little to feel the tires- thought maybe one was coming apart- nothing. Then I realized that I was hearing the engine hitting against the rev limiter. The transmission was in 'drive', but wouldn't pull the vehicle. The car rolled to a stop and never moved under its own power again. It was filled with relatively fresh Dexron VI (maybe 10,000 miles on it). Fluid level was fine. I'd had an external transmission cooler on this vehicle for years, and an inline filter (which was fairly new). When I'd idle the engine and check the ATF level, it showed over-full... just like when you check it with the engine shut of. The pump wasn't pumping.
I had my brother drive up from TN (a couple hours away) and pick up me and the car. I flew back to Kansas, and now the old Corsica sits at a friend's house. He has since removed a trans cooler line and started the engine- no ATF came out. Somehow the pump or the pump shaft failed suddenly and completely.
Usually in a violent manner that has nothing to do with mechanical failure.
Rods, they seem to break. I've had a few chrysler (mitsubishi's) die this way none with less than 300k.
1 Toyota Van tranny that was not worth repairing
I had a Honda throw a rod at about 120mph, it had 126k on it.
Ford Bronco II, rolled down a hill - I should say tumbled down a hill.
Lexus LS400, borrowed and spun into a Lincoln.
Ford Escort - smashed by a cement truck at 196k.
Most of my vehicles don't die in my hands
1 Toyota Van tranny that was not worth repairing
I had a Honda throw a rod at about 120mph, it had 126k on it.
Ford Bronco II, rolled down a hill - I should say tumbled down a hill.
Lexus LS400, borrowed and spun into a Lincoln.
Ford Escort - smashed by a cement truck at 196k.
Most of my vehicles don't die in my hands
Originally Posted By: FL-400S
1985 dodge lancer...piston separated from crankshaft...so said mechanic
this was around 1993~70k miles on car
old lady driven for first 60k and dealer maintained
not sure what would cause that, but no more dodges
The problem is not that it's Dodge but it was a dealership's maintained vehicle. Do you think the dealership wants it to be on the road or you back in the showroom.
1985 dodge lancer...piston separated from crankshaft...so said mechanic
this was around 1993~70k miles on car
old lady driven for first 60k and dealer maintained
not sure what would cause that, but no more dodges
The problem is not that it's Dodge but it was a dealership's maintained vehicle. Do you think the dealership wants it to be on the road or you back in the showroom.
Originally Posted By: Anies
Death by C4C. Liquid glass pushed through my beloved 94 Jeep Wrangler. Was my brothers, then mine, and my brothers again. Parents C4C'd it for the 10 Camry they bought.
Wish I was there for the last moments
How is a 1994 Wrangler a clunker? It may be one of the best Wrangler year out there. You could put a Chevy V8 in it to get more power and better fuel economy. Anyone junking their good vehicles in the name of greed shall be banned from car ownership or have their new car break down on them. Hopefully, the Camry is a lemon so the Wrangler can get its revenged for being abandoned after serving your family faithfully for so many years.
Death by C4C. Liquid glass pushed through my beloved 94 Jeep Wrangler. Was my brothers, then mine, and my brothers again. Parents C4C'd it for the 10 Camry they bought.
Wish I was there for the last moments
How is a 1994 Wrangler a clunker? It may be one of the best Wrangler year out there. You could put a Chevy V8 in it to get more power and better fuel economy. Anyone junking their good vehicles in the name of greed shall be banned from car ownership or have their new car break down on them. Hopefully, the Camry is a lemon so the Wrangler can get its revenged for being abandoned after serving your family faithfully for so many years.
^ I flat out cried when I saw a video of a 5.9 Grand Cherokee (rare, only about 14,200 sold in the US) being clunked. Then, I went outside, gave mine a hug, and took it for a drive.
My last car, a 2000 Hyundai Elantra met its death at 92,905 miles when I rear-ended another car on the highway (accident was of shared fault).
My last car, a 2000 Hyundai Elantra met its death at 92,905 miles when I rear-ended another car on the highway (accident was of shared fault).
Ahh, a trip down memory lane! In reverse chronological order:
2006 Taurus - totaled by $2k door scrape
2002 F150 - seized tranny
2003 Taurus - slipping tranny
1995 Bronco - rolled in a parking lot by SWMBO's idiot friend
1985 Camry - timing belt not worth repairing (only car I was glad to get rid of ever)
2000 Impala - slipping tranny (@ 210k on original fluid)
1989 VW Fox - still running, just couldn't afford to keep two tagged and insured, kinda miss it
1996 Lumina - /almost/ got out of the way of a 53'er in a snow storm (Cermack Toll Plaza FTW!)
1988 Celebrity - rear trailing arm rusted in two, very exciting
2006 Taurus - totaled by $2k door scrape
2002 F150 - seized tranny
2003 Taurus - slipping tranny
1995 Bronco - rolled in a parking lot by SWMBO's idiot friend
1985 Camry - timing belt not worth repairing (only car I was glad to get rid of ever)
2000 Impala - slipping tranny (@ 210k on original fluid)
1989 VW Fox - still running, just couldn't afford to keep two tagged and insured, kinda miss it
1996 Lumina - /almost/ got out of the way of a 53'er in a snow storm (Cermack Toll Plaza FTW!)
1988 Celebrity - rear trailing arm rusted in two, very exciting
Originally Posted By: M1Accord
Originally Posted By: FL-400S
1985 dodge lancer...piston separated from crankshaft...so said mechanic
this was around 1993~70k miles on car
old lady driven for first 60k and dealer maintained
not sure what would cause that, but no more dodges
The problem is not that it's Dodge but it was a dealership's maintained vehicle. Do you think the dealership wants it to be on the road or you back in the showroom.
That plan obviously worked well. I bet he went right back to the Dodge showroom...
You should probably take the aluminum foil hat off now...
Originally Posted By: FL-400S
1985 dodge lancer...piston separated from crankshaft...so said mechanic
this was around 1993~70k miles on car
old lady driven for first 60k and dealer maintained
not sure what would cause that, but no more dodges
The problem is not that it's Dodge but it was a dealership's maintained vehicle. Do you think the dealership wants it to be on the road or you back in the showroom.
That plan obviously worked well. I bet he went right back to the Dodge showroom...
You should probably take the aluminum foil hat off now...
I've never had a car die that I only drove. I drove a couple to the junkyard worn and rusty though. And I've replaced head gaskets and a couple transmissions in the family's stable. Counting cars that were in the family, only one died from a rod through the side of the block. It was a third owner '90 Grand Am 2.5 with about 140k miles driven by my hot rodding brother. It's too bad because every thing was in good working order on that car otherwise.
I guess you could say the only car that basically died that I drove exclusively was an '87 Escort with 150/k miles due to the chassis rusting through until it was no longer safe and was driven to the junkyard. That car always need something replaced except for except for the engine internal and transmission, both fof which were worn but stil functioning.
I guess you could say the only car that basically died that I drove exclusively was an '87 Escort with 150/k miles due to the chassis rusting through until it was no longer safe and was driven to the junkyard. That car always need something replaced except for except for the engine internal and transmission, both fof which were worn but stil functioning.
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